Syrian health centers will be on alert, especially at border crossings, to deal with any suspected cases of coronavirus, while Syrian public health authorities declared their full readiness to take strict measures at crossings, and adding that so far no cases of viral infection had been recorded.
The Health Ministry has stressed in its instructions the need to monitor the health of expatriates and any suspected cases of infection, whose global spread is accelerating. It also sent notices to ports and medical centers near the land border crossings and to Damascus International Airport to investigate suspected cases, especially from countries and regions that have registered cases.
In a statement to Al-Watan, Deputy Health Minister Ahmed Khelifaoui said health centers at all crossings had been put on alert, indicating that the necessary instructions should be sent to the doctors at the centers in the event that any cases are discovered to perform the necessary checks such as taking samples for analysis.
The deputy minister said that this included border crossings, as well as Damascus International Airport, noting that the matter is being monitored and that to date no cases have been confirmed. He said that there was also readiness to deal with any cases in provinces, including at the border crossings in Homs, Daraa and the Damascus countryside.
Khelifaoui stressed that preparations had been taken at all hospitals, in terms of having places for quarantine and the providing necessary procedures. He stressed the need to follow reports and information from official sources, and follow any measures regarding this matter.
The director of the al-Mujtahid Hospital in Damascus, Haitham al-Husseini, said that instructions had been received from the ministry on the need to deal fully with this issue, while providing everything necessary and taking swift measures in the event of a suspected case.
The director of Damascus airport, Nidal Mohamed, told Al-Watan that there was a meeting held on Sunday with the director of the Damascus Countryside Health Directorate and concerned officials, to develop the procedures to be taken by the health center at the airport which is under the authority of the Damascus countryside directorate.
He also said that health measures had been circulated to the center in addition to taking care with passengers at the airport, as well as general health awareness for workers in the airport with a focus on the need to notify any unusual cases, adding that there was no direct flight from China, and that transit was by way of Beirut, Dubai or Kuwait.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
